Thursday, March 08, 2007

Trivia and the pursuit of the trivial are embedded in American culture. Who hasn't dreamed of winning the million-dollar prize on Who Wants to be a Millionaire?, decimating opponents in a rousing game of Trivial Pursuite, or zinging tidbits in to conversational breaks at social gatherings?

Although knowledge of Indiana trivia will not guarantee an appearance on national television, it can be fun, as Fred Cavinder proves in his new book from the IHS Press titled The Indiana Book of Trivia. The book resists commonly known Hoosier trivia such as Cole Porter was from Indiana or that Don Larsen pitched the only perfect game in World Series history, in favor of listing odder, less historic facts about the Hoosier State and its inhabitants.

Cavinder is a former reporter and editor with the Indianapolis Star. He is also the author of The Indiana Book of Quotes, also published by the IHS Press, and Amazing Tales from Indiana, More Amazing Tales from Indiana, and The Indiana Book of Records, Firsts, and Fascinating Facts, all published by Indiana University Press.

Wednesday, March 07, 2007

Genealogy is history on the most personal level, a quest to discover and share stories about one’s forebears. First-time researchers wonder where to find information and how to compile it. These are the same questions asked by historical scholars seeking to tell community and national stories. Finding Indiana Ancestors: A Guide to Historical Research serves both audiences by providing an overview of research in general while focusing on Indiana-specific sources.

The Indiana Historical Society began compiling this comprehensive guide in 2000, contracting archivists, librarians, journalists, genealogists, and historians in the state’s major historical and genealogical organizations to write about their areas of expertise. The resulting essays appeared first in the Society’s family history journal, The Hoosier Genealogist (upgraded recently to THG: CONNECTIONS). In this book, they come together to form a complete guide for historical research in Indiana.

The book is divided into six parts. Parts 1–3 focus on getting started, working with family stories and pictures, documenting sources in libraries and archives, and understanding different record groups. Parts 4 and 5 explain researching with maps and researching different ethnic groups. Part 6 discusses manuscript and artifact research, nineteenth-century medicinal and industrial history, and data verification. A sample family group sheet and a sample pedigree chart appear in appendixes. Six model chapters show how to turn data into full-fledged stories.

Finding Indiana Ancestors: A Guide to Historical Research will help students, scholars, and family history researchers delve deeply into historical sources. Readers will learn where to go for the next piece of information, how to interpret the data, and how to incorporate each new fact into the stories of our ancestors—the people of Indiana.

The books costs $29.95 and is available from the Society's Basile History Market. To order, call (800) 447-1830 or order online at the History Market.

Four books published by the Indiana Historical Society Press have been nominated as finalists in ForeWord Magazine's eighth annual Book of the Year Awards.

The IHS Press books and the categories they were nominated in are:Hoosiers in Hollywood, Performing Arts/DramaThe Governors of Indiana, ReferenceMy Indiana: 101 Places to See, Travel GuideAbraham Lincoln Portrayed in the Collections of the Indiana Historical Society, Regional

Nearly 1,400 books were entered in 59 categories. These were narrowed to 698 finalists, from 419 publishers. The winners will be determined by a panel of librarians and booksellers, selected from our ForeWord's readership. ForeWord’s Book of the Year Awards program was designed specifically for them to share in the process of discovering distinctive books across a number of genres with judgments based on their own authority in each category and on their patron/customer interests.

Gold, Silver, and Bronze winners, as well as Editor’s Choice Prizes for Fiction and Nonfiction will be announced at a special program at BookExpo America at the Javits Center in New York City, June 1st from 2:30pm at LIVE@ Second Stage located on the main show floor. The winners of the two Editor’s Choice Prizes will be awarded $1,500 each. The ceremony is open to all BEA attendees.

About Me

The Indiana Historical Society Press promotes the understanding of Indiana and its people, including involvements beyond the borders of the state, through a varied publications program. The IHS Press seeks publishable material for its books (for adults and children), its popular history quarterly (Traces of Indiana and Midwestern History), and its family history quarterly (The Hoosier Genealogist).
The IHS Press seeks publications about Indiana and the Midwest on topics such as (but not limited to) biography, personal narrative, immigration, family, cultural heritage, women, literature, folklore, music, the visual arts, politics, economics, industry, transportation, sports, geography, and military, medical, archaeological, architectural, and agricultural history.
The IHS Press is an associate member of the American Association of University Presses.